Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in: Trouble at the Grocery Store
by elipotter18
Summary: Nancy, Frank, and Joe have a week to solve one of their most troubling cases yet in a nearly deserted little town. The worst is, their miles away from any backup or help! Will they solve the mystery first, or will the villians bet them to it?
1. Chapter 1

The Hardy Boys Brothers Undercover and Nancy Drew Girl Detective

 **Author's note: Helloooo everyone I'm just pointing out that while I love the characters I'm not really good at mystery writing myself (suggestions are welcome)! Disclaimer: I don't own anything, Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon do.**

"DID YOU SEE THAT?! DID YOU SEE THAT?!" Joe roared from his post - a bright purple beanbag chair on the floor amidst a smashed together collection of shelves and paperwork. "Quiet down, Joe…" Frank said warily, putting a hand to his temples. "Just because you don't have any sense of pop culture doesn't mean I can't!" Joe retorted.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah! Steady… steady- come on!" he urged his remote. Frank sighed and swung his legs off his stool by the kitchen table. Padding over to the fridge in his socks, he swung open the door and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

"Count me in!" Joe said with a nod aimed at the orange liquid swishing around in its container. Frank poured some into two tall glasses and handed one to his younger brother.

"Refreshing!" Joe commented, pausing his game briefly to slurp the juice through a straw. Frank finished his more slowly, his eyes focusing on the window next to him, his mind wandering.

"Bam- bam! Aha! Got you!" Joe's loud voice sliced into his thoughts like a knife on a watermelon. Gritting his teeth, Frank spun around. "Lower the volume." He growled.

"What? No way!" Joe shot back. "That's it!" Frank stood, seized the remote from Joe's hands, and clicked the TV off forcefully. "Sheesh, dude. What's got you all tied up?" Joe demanded, obviously annoyed.

"We're on a mission, Joe." Frank reminded him. "Yeah. I know. So?" Joe asked. "So," Frank continued. "We're supposed to be on alert. Ready for action. Not obsessively immersed in some kid game!"

"Or slumped over homework…" Joe pointed out with a significant glance at Frank's open laptop on the counter.

"And it's not a kid game, for your information, snooty pants. It's a rated teen game. So there. Go do some more homework so Ms. River will be all over you with joy. 'Look at Frankie, boys and girls, he does all his homework!'" Joe sniggered. Flushing, Frank flicked his brother's ear. "Shut up."

"Hey- did you- did you hear that?" Joe wondered quietly. Frank's head snapped sideways, ears straining for a source of the noise. CRASH! Joe sat bolt upright.

"Uh oh…" he murmured. "Uh oh is right! Quick! Let's go see what's going on…" Frank said. Both boys cautiously made their way over to where a gushing noise seemed to be coming.

"Here." Frank mouthed. "The bathroom?" Joe mouthed back incredulously. Frank rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, bro." Joe snickered softly.

He pushed open the door a crack. Instantly, he was thrown off of his feet by a strong current of water. Sopping wet and spluttering, Joe picked himself up. "What the heck was that?" he asked.

Frank's eyes shone with laughter but he didn't dare grin. He was a mature older brother, and he prided himself for that. It took every bit of strength in him to keep from chuckling at the sight of the disheveled Joe, but he would manage.

A mop held high above his head, ready to strike any attacker, he made his way inside the bathroom, water sloshing at his ankles. From outside the room, he could hear Joe's hoarse coughs.

"Who's there?" he demanded in what he considered to be his most menacing voice. There was no answer. "Come out and fight!" Joe shouted, appearing at Frank's shoulder armed only with his short blond, wet hair.

"Don't sound so eager, he or she might not take us too seriously." Frank reprimanded under his breath. "Why would anyone take a sopping wet guy seriously?" Joe asked, eyebrows raised. Frank cleared his throat. He would not laugh. "Doesn't seem like anyone's here." Joe concluded at last.

"Yeah, guess not…" Frank said sheepishly. "I bet it's a pipe problem- we should probably call a plumber…" Joe suggested. "Yep." Frank said, blushing for the second time that day.

"Man. I guess we… overreacted." Joe said once they had both had long, warm showers.

"We're too used to noises like that _not_ being a plumber issue." Frank said with a nod. "Yeah! I mean, did you hear the crack that thing made? Sounded like a bb gun backfiring to me!" Joe burst. Frank hummed his agreement, lost in thought.

"What are you thinking?" Joe asked in a low tone. "That… that- maybe this wasn't a mistake." Frank mused. Joe scoffed. "And here I thought you were the fast learner! Haven't you caught on? It was just a toilet gurgling!" he said.

"That could have killed you!" Frank exclaimed, livid. "Nah, the great Joe Hardy isn't going to get mauled by some toilet puking up water, ok?" Joe grinned. "Joe," Frank said tensely. "Don't be an idiot. The toilet wasn't wired to blast whoever opens the door down. Say a chunk of metal was in the water and hit you in the head- or you were knocked off your feet and had a bad landing. I don't know! But this definitely doesn't seem to be _just_ a problem with our hotel's sewer system- I feel it." "Hm… I honestly don't think so, but… you're- you. So keep thinking. In the meantime…" Joe snuck a devious look at the big, dark screened TV.

"No, Joe!" Frank said, throwing up his hands. Joe made a pouty face and groaned, flopping back onto his bed. "You know…" he began. Frank looked up from the book cover he had been examining. "You know… I think we should call in Nancy."

"Are you kidding?" Frank demanded. "Nope. Let's do it." Joe grabbed his phone. "You're ego let you?" Frank asked, amused. "Oh ha ha!" Joe said sarcastically. He punched in his password and dialed their friend. "Hello?" a sleepy voice asked. "Hey- is this Nancy?" Joe asked into his cellphone.

"Nuh uh- I'm Benny… uh, just a kid she's babysitting." The voice said. "Oh. Ok. Hey- Benny, think you could pass the phone to her?" Joe wondered. "Uh- sure! Nancy! Hey! Nancy!" they heard the boy scream. "Coming, coming…" a distant female voice replied. A door slammed and then they heard her.

"What's going on, Ben?" she asked. "Nuthin. Just some dudes who called." Benny replied. "Hm… I wasn't expecting a call. Ok. I left some carrot sticks out on the table, go eat those, ok?" Nancy pressed her charge.

"Uh huh." And Benny took off. "Hello?" Nancy pressed the phone to her ear. "Yo Nance! I called, like, a month ago! Nice of you to finally drop by!" Joe said. Frank elbowed him in the ribs.

Nancy laughed from the other end. "Sorry- gardening, you know. So what's up?" she asked them. "Not much." Joe started. "Uh… where's Frank? He's not kidnapped is he?" Nancy inquired, concerned. "Maybe…" Joe said lightly.

"Give me that!" Frank lunged for the Apple device. "No! Get your own!" Joe protested, wrestling for his phone. "Joe? Are you ok? You sound like you're being mugged… where are you? I can head over now if you like." Nancy said.

"Yeah…" Joe said, yanking his phone away from his brother. "Fine." "Not kidnapped!" Frank grunted into the phone, pinning the struggling Joe down. "Get off!" Joe got the upper hand and in two seconds Franks head collided with the coffee table and then with the hard wood floor. "JOE!" Frank roared.

"Are you boys alright?" Nancy demanded, sounding alarmingly close to calling the police. "Yes," Frank said, snatching the phone back. "Everything is fine- was fine until Joe decided to be a jerk."

"Hey Frank!" Nancy said cheerfully, completely ignoring the scuffle between the brothers. Joe and Frank grinned. That was just one of the things of what they liked about her. She seemed to understand their need to fight once in a while, and never bothered to scold them or try to correct them about it like other people did. "Hey…" Frank greeted back.

"Put it on speaker, then!" Joe panted, sweaty. "Gross, man. You literally just took a shower." Frank told him. "Yeah, but then you thought it was ok to tackle me and steal my phone." Joe shot back.

"Point taken." Frank said with a shrug. He pressed the speaker button and Nancy's voice filled the room. "So… do you need help on a case?" she asked slyly.

"How did you guess?" Joe asked at the same time as Frank said, "I know, we're pathetic." "I'd be happy to help! And it's fine to need some! I've asked you guys a couple of times." Nancy said. "We know, Frank's just got a big pride, poor guy…" Joe replied.

"Joe we will talk after this." Frank said in a stern whisper. "Sure thing, Frank." Joe said, with every bit of bravado he normally used, but his eyes were lowered in a sort of meek apprehension. "Anyway…" Frank said, running his hands through his hair.

"So where should I get plane tickets to?" Nancy asked excitedly. "Uh…" Frank whipped around to Joe. "Hm…" "Where are we again?" "Let me see…" "Hey Siri!" "One sec, Nance…" "Oh yeah! Some far-off cottage in Chinkotage. It's in the middle of nowhere. Shouldn't be hard to spot." Joe answered after a moment of squinting at a jumble of lengthy articles on Wikipedia.

"Gotcha. Should I be going now or…" Nancy pressed. "Yup. We're here now. Thanks so much, Nancy…" Frank said. "No, thank you guys! I've been bored out of my mind at home these past months… no mysteries!" Nancy remarked. The three burst out laughing.

"See you soon!" Joe told her. Then they ended the call. "Presto! We've got help. And that, that is how you do it!" Joe exclaimed, slamming a fist down on the table. "True." Frank said softly. "Now can I?" Joe glanced hungrily at the green remote lying discarded on the rug.

"Sure, go ahead. You deserve it buddy. Tomorrow? It's gonna be tough." Frank foretold. "Hey- how do you know?" Joe asked, settling down with a big box of popcorn. "Don't ask." Frank said with a small smile. Joe wasn't listening anymore, though. His eyes were glued on the screen as he brought a handful of popcorn to his mouth.

Shaking his head, Frank made his way back to his computer.


	2. Chapter 2

Hardy Boys Brothers Undercover and Nancy Drew Girl Detective

 **Notes: Hi ya'll tell me what you think :)**

"Remind me again why we're doing this." Frank said his left foot slipping slightly under him. Joe huffed. "Ok, ok- I get the message. Maybe this wasn't my most brilliant of plans- the point is we get out alive, right?" The blond asked. "No. Not the point at all. Ugh… I hate heights…" Frank looked down and found the concrete ground a dizzying distance away, people and cars basically tiny specs bustling around, totally unaware of their presence. "We'll never make the jump, Joe…" he warned, catching his brother mentally calculating how much force it would take to jump to the next skyscraper like building, and how much guts.

"We could…" Joe protested lightly. "No." Frank said firmly. "Yeah, you're right. A fall like this and-" Joe traced a finger across his throat and stuck out his tongue.

"Exactly." Frank said, struggling to keep from letting his eyes travel down again. "So now what?" Joe wondered. "I have no idea." Frank answered.

"Getting up was the easy part… down, though… sounds like a nasty idea now I think of it." Joe remarked. "Now you think of it." Frank echoed angrily, a bit green. Joe laughed sheepishly. "Well, it was nice being your brother." He said. "Don't talk like that." Frank snapped.

"Hey, I'm just trying to be realistic." Joe said, raising his hands in surrender. "No, that's called being negative." Frank corrected. "And put your hands back on the wall, ok? I'd rather not have you topple off the wall before it's inevitable." "Sure thing." Joe said, clasping the wall again.

"Well this is awkward…" Frank said after a moment, clearing his throat. "Absolutely agree with you there, brother." Joe said with a nod.

"Man, I wish we could just open these stupid windows, but everyone seems so keen on keeping them locked! I guess it's good for security reasons…" Frank said, reaching for a window and trying to pry it open with his fingers. "Why would you be worried about some crook climbing all the way up here just to get in through your window? I mean, no one climbs this monster!" Joe exclaimed reasonably. Frank gave him a look. "Oh yeah, us." Joe grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Think, Joe… what would dad do?" Frank asked. "I dunno, kick down the window and leave a hundred dollar bill tucked under a purse for repairs?" Joe suggested. "Nope, new sneakers, remember?" Frank signaled at his clean looking sport shoes. "Besides, you know I'm basically broke! Especially when we've decided to climb onto a building to sneak in… I didn't think to bring money on me! We're definitely not breaking this thing down and then leaving some poor person to pay for the damage."

"Nice." Joe laughed. "Uh oh… looks like someone just entered that room." He pointed out, seeing a shadow move across it. "Quick, hide!" Frank hissed, and both boys flattened themselves on either sides of the glass square. Frank breathed a sigh of relief when he counted to sixty and nothing happened.

"Maybe they didn't see us?" Joe asked hopefully. But just then the window opened. Frank's stomach lurched. They would have to jump rather than risk discovery of their agent of ATAC status. Besides, whoever was in the room had every right to call the police on them, and a helicopter hovering over their heads when there was an intimidating four hundred foot drop below them wasn't precisely what they needed at the moment, so to speak. "Jump?" Joe asked, he seemed to have been thinking the same thing.

Frank was about to give him the thumbs up symbol when a strawberry blond head emerged from the window and looked him full in the face. Frank winced and pulled back, boy was he going to get it. "Nancy?" Joe yelped in mid-jump. "Joe!" Frank hollered. "Oh no!" Nancy threw her upper body out of the window and managed to seize Joe by the wrist. Frank was frozen to his spot, eyes wide.

"Frank help!" Nancy screamed, snapping him out of it. "Yeah… right." Panting hard, Frank cautiously made his way to her side and grabbed Joe's leg. "Ok, heave…" Nancy said, more calmly now.

"Got it." Frank said, numbly following her orders. At last they managed to pull an ashen faced Joe to the windowsill and drag him up. Joe scrambled inside all too quickly. "Now you," Nancy turned to Frank who was still hanging onto a brick on the wall. "Give me your hand." She instructed. Swallowing through his dry throat, he obeyed silently, putting out his hand.

She took it and along with Joe, who was starting to regain some color, pulled him up. Frank scrunched his eyes closed, refusing to look down through the whole ordeal, but when he was laid on the wide windowsill he couldn't help it anymore.

"Biggest mistake of my life." Frank admitted slowly, remembering the swimming scene. Joe laughed weakly, taking another bite of the sandwich Nancy had dug out of her bag. "Right on cue, as always, eh, Nance?" Frank smiled at her.

"As always." She agreed, inclining her head towards the sick looking boys. "Yeah, that was too close…" Joe said. "I just wanted to let you two have a little excitement before dropping by to rescue you." Nancy teased.

"Yeah, Joe, don't be so ungrateful…" Frank reprimanded. Joe made a face at him. "Geez, this sandwich is too good to be true…" Joe commented, savoring a lettuce in his mouth now. "Isn't it? I guess this town isn't as useless as we had thought!" Nancy laughed.

"How," Frank questioned. "Can you eat like that, after a life and death situation? I honestly can't even look at food right now…"

"Poor baby." Joe snickered. Nancy put a hand on Frank's forearm. "Want some water?" she asked. "Lifesaver, you are." He told her, gratefully receiving a cold bottle of water, and tipping it back until he had gulped down all its contents. "Wow you guys seem like you haven't seen food or drink in-" Nancy was cut off.

"In like a thousand years? That's 'cause it's just about true, Nance." Joe interrupted. "Hey!" Frank said, sitting up, with a mock hurt expression on his face. "I haven't been taking _that_ bad care of you! I took you to the finest deli in town!" "Yeah, some cheap place that's prized specialty they claim people travel far and wide to taste are just a bunch of lousy bagels. And they don't even have cream cheese! It's all butter, butter, butter!" Joe complained. Frank snorted. "Well at least I fed you. And with my own money too, you ungrateful, spoiled kid." He insulted.

" _At least_ I've been able to make us some awesome omelets back at the hotel, or you'd be toast." Joe shot back. "Oooh omelets. Sounds good." Nancy remarked. "They are." Joe beamed. "Yeah, we can have those for dinner!" Frank said, looking healthier already.

"If only our parents knew how we were eating. Aunt Josephine is obsessed with giving us a _thanksgiving mea_ l every night. Dad claims we'll be fat before we know it." Joe told Nancy. "Same with Hannah." Nancy retorted. "How we manage to keep fit, I have no idea…" Frank remarked.

"Hm, now it couldn't be all that detective work we do that keeps you on edge for months on end… -could it?" Nancy inquired. "Nah, I don't think so." Joe replied. "Definitely not that." Frank said. "Well it's good to have some light dinner for a change." Nancy observed.

"Totally!" Joe leapt up and skidded into Nancy's kitchen. "You got any eggs?" he asked her over his shoulder. "Yeah." She answered. "Right there- above your elbow." "Huh? Oh- yeah! Gotcha!" Joe whipped them out and a few other ingredients, and got to work. Frank stood up too, and began to stretch. "I feel so sore…" he groaned. "Me too." Nancy said, feeling her wrists. Frank rolled back his shoulders and sighed contentedly, stretching a particularly hurting muscle.

The soft humming of cars outside was starting to make him sleepy, and the dim lights in the room too. Yawning, Frank rubbed his eyes. "Oh ho! Got some peppers too, nice, nice…" Joe was saying from the kitchen. The sizzle of the pan could already be heard, and a delicious aroma filled their noses. "Yum!" Nancy exclaimed. Frank licked his lips. "Almost ready… hey- can you two go out to the lobby and ask the reception for some salt? I think you're out, Nancy." Joe said.

"Yup." Frank said together with Nancy. They hurried out, eager to get back to a plate of the steaming eggs. As they were crossing a hall, Frank heard Nancy suddenly let out a yelp.

"What is it?" he demanded. "Someone just pressed something hard to my back…" she whispered. "What?" Frank whirled around.

Sure enough, a hooded figure had the barrel of his gun shoved against her. "You a Hardy?" the gruff voice asked Frank. "No," Frank lied instantly. "Can't fool me that easily." Quick as lightning, the man pushed down a part of Frank's shirt. To Frank's dismay, there was the mark he had been born with, a tiny brown freckle on his collarbone. "How did you-" Frank began furiously.

"Knew you were him. Frank, isn't it?" the man growled, Frank did not reply. "And you must be the Drew. Carson's precious daughter…" the man's lips turned up in a snide grin with all his yellowing teeth displayed. "No- this is my friend Em, she's got nothing to do with Nancy. Right?" Frank attempted to rescue her.

"Yes. That's true. And I just _can't_ believe another person thinks you're Frank. When will people get you're just a lookalike?" Nancy asked incredulously. "With the same birthmark?" the man raised his eyebrows. "Yes," Frank said forcefully. "I don't believe a word you're saying." The man said with a shrug.

"You should!" Nancy told him loudly. "Not buying this load of junk. Come on. Both of you. And hey… where is that sweet little brother of yours, eh?" the man asked Frank. "I- I don't have a brother. Only sisters." Frank fibbed quickly. "What the heck is taking you guys so long?" the door to Nancy's room flew open and there stood Joe in an apron.

Frank face-palmed himself. "Hey, Joseph… come here for a moment…" the man purred. "Do we know him?" Joe asked Frank and Nancy. They both made furious no signs with their heads. "Uh, no… sorry, we don't know you. You've got the wrong guy- hey! Is that a gun?" Joe asked.

Frank grimaced. "And I wish you hadn't seen it. I'm going to have to cut all of your pretty heads off now." The man laughed. "What?" Joe asked. "Run, Joe, run!" Frank roared.

Joe didn't need to be told twice. He turned on his heel and ran like a zombie apocalypse was hot on his heels. "No!" the man howled, torn between keeping an eye on Nancy and Frank, and chasing after Joe.

"You," the man's took Frank by a fistful of his brown hair, his breath tickling the teen's ear. "Aw, man…" Frank moaned, coughing. "When was the last time you brushed your teeth?" "Don't egg him on…" Nancy warned under her breath.

"Egg. That's ironic. I'd been looking forwards to Joe's." Frank sighed. "Oh well. They'll have to wait until we're done with this…" Nancy waved her hands toward the man, nonplussed. "Psycho." Frank put in for her.

To their great relief, a "Yaaaaa!" filled the air as Joe, backed up by police on all sides, charged from the end of the hall, emerging from an elevator. "That was quick." Nancy remarked. "I wonder how…" Frank murmured. "Hands up, sir." A police man barked.

Their catcher's eyes lit up with malice and he did not remove his hand from Frank or the other one from the gun pointed at Nancy. "Let go of my brother!" Joe snarled, kicking the gun out of the man's hands. "Don't be so rash…" Frank told him as he passed in the air. "Who's ungrateful now, huh?" Joe smirked, landing his kick neatly. The man shouted as Joe's foot made contact with his arm. The gun clattered to the floor. "That should teach you to mess with my friends." Joe told the shocked man smugly.

"Back up." A police woman told the three teens. More than happy to do so, they rushed out of the center of the scene and behind the newly put up strips of yellow police tape.

 **So tell me what you think, did I end it ok there? Did you like? Not like?Suggestions are welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Hardy fight

Hardy Boys Brothers Undercover and Nancy Drew Girl Detective

 **Reviews were great thanks for the comments, they helped!**

"Yikes, who was that guy?" Joe asked, dusting himself off and looking out of a darkened window dotted with police lights. "I don't know but we're going to have to find out…" Frank remarked grimly, straightening the creases of his shirt while the wail of a siren whizzed past their building. "Well, duh! But at least the police have their eyes on him now." Joe replied with a carefree nod at where all the commotion was coming from.

Nancy had been silently walking beside the brothers the whole time. "What do you think, Nance?" Frank asked her. Nancy stopped in her tracks. "I think," she began. "I think that this isn't connected with your previous case." "You don't?" Frank repeated, he hadn't really thought much about that, assuming that it was. "But isn't it a little too much of a coincidence that we stumble onto two mysteries in the period of three days?" "Cliché." Joe remarked.

"Well, think about it. You were stationed here to keep an eye on some fishy restaurant where teens keep on getting into trouble with the authorities, right?" Nancy inquired. "Right." The Hardy's responded. "Now what on Earth could a menu have to do with some crazed man who happens to know all about us?" Nancy asked.

"He only knew about my birthmark…" Frank piped up sheepishly. "I didn't even know about that-and I'm your bro!" Joe protested. "You're not funny, Joe…" Frank said wearily. "Just kidding!" Joe turned, grinning, to Nancy. "I guessed as much." She told him. "I didn't know about any mark." she said to Frank. "Well, yeah… but it isn't exactly a prime conversation starter- is it? Besides… it's barely noticeable! _I_ forget I have a freckle near my neck most of the time!" he declared.

"Maybe, but it's still a sort of… weakness. People can recognize exactly who you are by it. That's risky considering what we do on our weekends…" Nancy pointed out quietly. "Yes, but that brings me back to an important question- how the heck does that guy know about that? It's not exactly something I make videos on for my YouTube channel…" Frank joked. Nancy raised an eyebrow.

"You have a YouTube channel?" she asked, interested. "Uh… yeah." Frank said, suddenly uneasy. "He posts about the lamest things in the world!" Joe groaned. "It's no wonder his only subscriber is mom and our schools history teacher!"

"What about?" Nancy wondered. "Nothing!" Frank said, cheeks tinged pink- slamming his hand on Joe's mouth, restraining his brother's further comments to a muffled grunt. "Let go of me!" Joe catapulted out of Frank's grip and landed on his back on the rug. "Get up!" Frank said dryly, helping his brother off the dirty rug.

"We're in public, don't embarrass me any more than you have to…" "Speaking of embarrassed…" Joe said. "Don't even start." Frank growled. "Weirdo." Joe shot. "Disloyal." Frank replied. "Nerd." Joe countered. "Idiot." Frank rebounded. "Guys, _guys_. Calm down. We have a case to focus on." Nancy prodded.

"Don't call me an idiot…" Joe was saying to Frank. "Then how about showing some respect?" Frank demanded. "I don't have to show anything- to some slowpoke- like you!" Joe disagreed. Without warning, the usual pacifist Frank lunged for his brother.

Joe ducked and turned, elbowing Frank straight in the guts. Frank oofed but recovered quickly, giving Joe a neat uppercut that sent him whizzing backwards. Joe took a breath, and then charged, throwing his weight onto his brother and making them both collapse onto the ground, pummeling each other with their fists nonstop.

Nancy sighed, she would let them handle it with each other for a while- let them cool off. After a moment though, all their grunting and groaning was beginning to attract a crowd, so Nancy decided to take action. She grabbed Frank's shoulders and with surprising force yanked him off of Joe. Joe made to grab Frank again, but Nancy pushed the blond back roughly.

"No. Stay back." She shoved Frank into a corner of the hall where the mob that had formed around them dispersed to let the brown haired teen through. Some in their audience seemed to have become excited, selecting a favorite fighter and then cheering him on, of course booing at the opponent. So it was no surprise when some ran over to Frank, rubbing his back and handing him water. Joe meanwhile was being praised by a group of rugged looking girls in hiking clothes, obviously overjoyed at getting some excitement in the boring old town.

Both Hardy's seemed rather pleased with themselves, but their appearance was wince worthy. Frank had a little trickle of blood dribbling down the side of his mouth, with multiple bruises crisscrossing his arms. Joe, on the other hand, had a bloody nose but no other visible injuries, although he was clutching at his stomach a little strangely, a pained look in his eyes. Their clothes were ripped and their hair, neatly combed previously, was stuck up and grimy. Both were as eager as ever to fly at each other's throats again- just as soon as Nancy let them by moving out of the way _and_ thus making Frank's beeline to Joe an easy, but predictable, move.

"I can't believe they're acting like such kids…" Nancy was thinking. But in her head she had their best interests at mind, and that was that neither of them actually got hurt- or majorly hurt since they already looked like they had been in a charge of wild buffalo.

"Let them fight, let them fight!" one of the girls had started the chant, and soon others joined in. Frank and Joe grinned. Nancy gritted her teeth. "Come on, Nance! Let me at him!" Joe told her. "Have you seen yourself?" Nancy asked him incredulously.

"It's nothing…" Joe said, waving off her argument. "Nancy, please?" Frank called from the other end. "Have you gone crazy, Frank?" she demanded, flustered and more than a little annoyed at the usually reasonable, cool headed boy. "They're fine! It's nothing an ice pack can't fix!" another hiker girl put in loudly. Nancy glared at her.

"Listen," she began, calming down a little. "I enjoy a good fight as much as anyone else. But these guys are my friends, and believe me, if we don't keep them separated, someone's really going to get hurt. Besides we have- _work_ to do, remember, Hardy's?" Nancy growled. "Let them fight already!" a chubby looking man in a red shirt shouted.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" a man in a tight fitting tuxedo and balding head came rushing down the hall, waving a phone in the air wildly. "That' the manager…" the red shirted dude mumbled, retreating into his room without another word. "Thanks a lot, you spoil sport." One of the hiking group told Nancy sarcastically under her breath.

"Great," thought Nancy. "Now everyone in this building hates me." "What happened to you, rascal?" the manager paused by Frank, examining him critically. "Uh- fell into a thorn bush outside." Frank fibbed. "Your brother too?" the man jabbed a finger at where Joe stood, panting, hands on his knees. "No, I pushed him." Nancy put in helpfully. Joe glowered but did not contradict her. "Ok, then…" the manager seemed confused at the lack of noise and violence the second he had arrived.

He was obviously crestfallen, having wanted to have a good shout. With a shrug, he turned on his heel and stormed out.

"What got into you?!" Nancy asked the boys, her dark eyes flashing with anger, the second the manager was out of sight. Both boys winced and drew back- they knew better than to play around with that tone, even if Nancy kept it as level as she always did. Frank laughed nervously, scratching behind his neck with one hand. Joe's fists keep clenching and unclenching by his sides, his ears red and his eyes firmly planted on the ground. "Sorry, that was stupid. I don't know what got into me…" Frank said at last. "Yeah, me too…" Joe said grudgingly. "You? You seemed pretty normal to me!" Frank teased. "Shut it, man. You don't want to start up another fight, do you?" Joe asked. "And risk getting kicked out of the only hotel for miles? No thanks." Frank said, then turned to Nancy. "Plus, I'm pretty sure we've messed with Nance's temper for a lifetime…"

"You can say that again. It must have been kinda tough on you… being the only mature human being around…" Joe told her. "It's fine. Forget it. Let's just try to get back to my room without any further… chaos- ok?" she asked, letting out the air from her cheeks slowly. "You bet." Joe told her cheerfully. "Uh huh." Frank said. "And say something to each other. We're not going to be a functioning team if we don't." Nancy instructed.

"Wise words," Frank noted. Joe put out his hand. "Brothers." He said tonelessly. "Brothers," Frank echoed, shaking Joe's hand once and then releasing. "Good," Nancy commented smoothly. "Wait." Frank put out a hand to stop his companions.

"What is it now?" Joe asked with a yawn. "Wait a minute… did you notice anything- weird? - about the manager guy, I mean." Frank inquired. "No, not really." Joe said as he reached for the handle of Nancy's hotel room. "What are you thinking?" Nancy asked the older Hardy.

"It just hit me, but… maybe that dude wasn't just running up here to crash our party and investigate all the noise… I just feel like- something tells me he was… you'll think it's a dumb idea…" Frank stammered. "No we won't." Joe spoke this time, holding the door open as Frank and Nancy ducked inside. Frank's face relaxed into a smile. "I think I've got a clue as to what's going on…" he said, bending over to untie his shoelace. "What?" Joe asked impatiently, pulling his foot away from the door, causing it to close. Nancy quickly locked it and turned to her friend.

"Well?" she asked Frank. "Do you think that maybe the tux man was- spying on us?" Frank demanded softly. "Why would he do that?" Joe asked, breaking the momentary stunned silence. "No, he's right. That makes some sense." Nancy chimed in, nodding at Frank and taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Ok, but say he was. Why would he want to? Don't tell me he knows all our secrets too?" Joe asked them, pulling out a plate of cold eggs towards him and digging in. "My birthmark isn't a secret, Joe…" Frank said flicking on the lights. "I know that." Joe said hastily. "The way he just jumped in on us seemed a little unnatural, like he had been waiting for things to get real heated before appearing." Nancy observed. Joe stopped eating and began to play with his fork, distracted.

"Like he was pressed against the wall hiding the whole time, listening to us talk, right around the bend in the hallway. It was a clever idea, but you'd have thought walking up some flights of stairs would get him panting or sweaty, but no! He came up to us with his breathing level completely normal! And I think his face might've been red because he was screaming, so… I mean, it's only natural for a head of hotel to be around when someone gets arrested on his premises, right? Why would he pretend to have been downstairs? I think in his eagerness to catch us doing something, he might have forgotten that he didn't need to pretend, and so caught himself in his own trap." Frank asked. "Exactly!" Joe's face lit up. "I get it now! I even saw him when that crazy guy was arrested! And the elevator doors didn't open again, or we'd have seen it or heard the little ding noise it makes. So he can't pretend to look like he hadn't been doing exercise climbing a bunch of flights of stairs because the elevator never stopped at our level! I bet he knows we're detectives."

"I think so too…" Nancy mused.

"So basically all he wanted to do was to catch us red handed doing something that would smudge our reputation as detectives and since he was so hyped to do it, he forgot he wasn't supposed to hide and was already supposed to be around because of that coo-coo guy and didn't count on our observant skills and so we realized that he couldn't possibly have climbed the stairs to get to us and the elevator never came, and he obviously can't teleport, so-" Joe took a big lungful of air.

"Yes, Joe… that's precisely what happened." Frank told him patiently.

"So what do we do?" Frank asked, brow furrowed. Nancy grinned. "There's only one thing we can do!" she exclaimed. "And what's that?" Joe asked sleepily. "We pay a little visit to this town's jail…" Nancy replied. "No way!" Joe said, eyes snapping open. "Why not?" Nancy asked him.

"Because I found out something while you guys were getting ambushed by the lunatic a while ago…" Joe answered. "That might change that way we think about this case…"


	4. Chapter 4: A crabby boss

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in: Trouble at the Grocery Store

"This is hands-down the craziest thing I've ever done…" Joe murmured. "Amateur." Joked Nancy. "I'm low key freaking out right now…" Frank put in, ducking in through the loop of a green apron and tying the back. "Are we seriously going to hitch a ride on the back of a produce truck?" Joe asked Nancy.

"You don't have a car parked anywhere, do you?" Nancy inquired. "Well, no… but I'm pretty sure my idea was slightly less… complicated." Joe replied. Frank raised his eyebrows, donning a kaki cap that read "Emily Anne's Egg Farm".

"You're idea, Joe," he began forcefully. "Was to hop into a pool fully clothed and try to decipher what you were saying through the bubbles leaving your mouth. So, yeah… I'd say Nancy's plan is the best way to go." "Whatever." Joe grumbled. "But I'm not getting into this uniform! Whoever designed this has got the poorest eyesight ever! The purple clashes sooo loud with the orange, don't you think?" he held up a shabby looking shirt and pants.

"Shut up and change already." Frank growled. "Doesn't it clash, though, Nancy? Back me up!" Joe pressed. Nancy hesitated, her eyes dancing with laughter. "Hmmm…" she started, choosing her next words carefully in her head. "It's just the uniform!" Frank groaned, sensing that he was going to be overruled. "Yeah, but what if someone sees me?" Joe demanded.

"So what if they do? You look fine!" Frank insisted. "Nope. No, sir… I'm not going to get into that garbage." Joe said stubbornly. "Joe…" Frank warned. "What if someone who knows me sees this? It'd be so embarrassing!" Joe complained.

"I don't think anyone we know is in this tiny town." Frank replied. "Well, there's Nancy…" Joe pointed out. "Yeah, but she's seen you in more awkward situations! This is nothing!" Frank exclaimed. Joe looked skeptical, and if possible, more repulsive of the clothing before him. "Wow, thanks, Frank…" he remarked coldly.

"You know what? Never mind. Let's go look for something else for you, then." Frank said. "Had a change of heart?" Joe teased. "Quick- I see something hanging out of that locker!" Nancy pointed to a sleeve dangling from the closed door of a locker. Joe sprinted to it, threw open the metal door, and took out a dark blue one piece suit with a brown nametag and hat to go along. Examining it critically, he rubbed his chin, deep in thought as he held it out in front of him.

"Oh for Pete's sake! Let's go!" Frank interrupted his deep thinking. "Ok, ok! This'll do ok." Joe announced at last, turning on his heel and bolting back to Frank's side. "Good eye, Nance, or we'd have been here for another two hours, knowing Joe's picky little sense of fashion…" Frank told Nancy under his breath. "I heard that!" Joe let them know, from his post by the door. Frank rolled his eyes. "Ok, everybody ready?" Nancy asked, straightening her leather jacket with a thin, rose colored thread naming the company she was pretending to work for.

"As ready as I'll ever be…" Joe said in a low tone. Frank gave himself a little shake, bracing himself. "I really hope that truck we're getting on is really loud…" Nancy said. "Yeah, but not too loud or we won't be able to hear a word Joe is saying…" Frank retorted, looking mildly stressed. "Hey, relax… this isn't really is hard as it sounds…" Nancy comforted. "Isn't it?" Frank looked at her incredulously. Joe sniggered. "You boys aren't- scared, are you?" Nancy asked slowly.

"What? Me? No way!" Joe laughed, puffing up his chest and putting his hands on his hips, as if he had already solved the case. "No. We're not scared…" Frank said in a relatively unsure manner. Nevertheless, he got up, resolve formed and looking steady.

Smiling at the result she had produced by her stinging question, Nancy turned to the door, a finger on her lips. Loud footsteps stomped down the hall on the other side. Instantly, the three teens leapt into action. Frank crouched by a carton of milk, pretending to weight it on the little metal scale in front of him. Joe and Nancy hovered above a coop of chickens, each holding a plastic bag of corn and sprinkling it inside the cages. The door flew open and there stood an ugly looking man, moustache blowing as he made a fist.

"What is the meaning of- this?" he picked up a stray stick of hay and shaking it in Joe's face. "Um…" Joe looked at the other two. "Sorry. Must have forgotten to do that…" Frank said, noticing why the man was angry and standing up.

He grabbed the broom that lay in the corner of the room, cobwebs clinging to it, and dutifully dusted the floor. "You," the man pointed at Joe. Joe looked startled. "Go bring the horses in here, quick. It's gonna be a cold night and I don't want the animals getting annoying." "Yes, sir." Joe scurried away. "And you," the man nodded at Nancy.

"Forget the chickens, they're thick enough. Feed the pigs, they'll need it where they're going." "And where exactly, is that?" Nancy asked. The man's eyes narrowed. "You- ask too many questions. Now, get to work- quick, quick!" he snapped. "Sir," Nancy continued. "As supervisor you should be open to questions and answer them truthfully due to the document implying that all-" "Nancy, drop it… he's in a bad mood." Frank told her quietly.

"That shouldn't affect the way he treats workers…or animals." Nancy responded grimly, staring after the large man as he hit a baby goat sideways roughly to get to a closet. "Tyrant…" she snarled lowly as the young animal bleated and ran for its mother, straightening up from the pigs and glowering in his general direction. "He's not worth it…" Frank told her. "Cut it out, Frank! We have to stop this man…" Nancy said sternly.

"That's not our problem, though…" Frank answered desperately. "Maybe not, but that doesn't make it ok to ignore." Nancy remarked. "Nancy… we've got a mission to stick to!" Frank urged. "Yeah… but by the looks of it, we're not going out of this place any time soon…" Joe panted, reentering the room with two big horses behind him.

"This one looks hurt…" Nancy commented, leaning in towards a brown mare. "Yeah, his name's Al. I overheard a fragment of the conversation the two farmers were having when they gave him to me… they separated him from his mother way to early which is why they say he's been hostile." Joe responded, throwing himself down on a mountain of hay to rest. "Oh… that's sad…" Frank remarked.

"Yeah, poor guy…" Joe patted Al's nose. "He doesn't seem hostile to me…" Nancy commented. "Hey! That's true… maybe he didn't like those owners… you didn't like them, did you, boy? Those mean bullies treated you bad, didn't they?" Joe spoke to the horse.

Al blinked his humongous eyes uncomprehendingly.

"So have you found out when the truck leaves?" Joe asked his brother and Nancy. "Not yet…" Frank answered warily. "But I have an idea." Nancy piped up. "Ok, but you guys better hurry up or I might forget…" Joe said.

"Don't you dare." Frank said with a weak laugh, picking at some crusty mud on his shoe. "Hurry, is all I'm saying… hey- have you guys been talking to that dude that barged in here earlier? He looks mad…" Joe jerked his thumb towards where the supervisor was, sitting behind a desk, staring at some papers.

"Maybe…" Frank said lightly with a suggestive glance at Nancy, who shrugged but grinned.

The sound of a window breaking made the three whirl around towards the loud noise. The next thing they knew blur of silver was hurtling through the air at them! Nancy slammed the heel of her hand onto Frank's chest, sending him whizzing back. "What was that for? - oh." Frank stared at the knife implanted in the wooden wall, rubbing his chest. Joe cursed. Nancy went up to examine the weapon as the Hardy brothers cautiously looked out of the window, searching for their mystery attacker.

"Oh, wow that was weird…" Frank said trying not to panic and put on a brave face, wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans. Joe swallowed hard, straining his eyes to see in the darkness outside. "This is just getting plain creepy now… someone really wants us out of their way…" Joe mumbled, licking his dry lips.

"Boys," Nancy called. "Boys, look what I found."


	5. Chapter 5

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Trouble at the Grocery Store:

"What?" Frank and Joe's eyes widened as they both leaned forwards over their smoothies.

"Look…" Nancy pulled out a piece of paper and flattened it on the table.

Frank wordlessly read it, his mouth set in a thin line, while Joe pushed back from the table and stood up to read over his shoulder.

After scanning the note quickly, both boys looked up at Nancy, at a loss.

"Think it's just a sick prank someone did? To freak us out or something?" Joe asked at last.

"Did that knife look like a sick joke?" Nancy asked him.

Joe's jaw clenched.

"What do you think?" they turned to Frank.

Frank swallowed hard and frowned, rubbing his chin. "I… think…" his eyes fell to the diner they were in, then slipped to the big window.

"You don't think it's a joke?" Nancy pressed.

Frank was silent, lost in thought.

"Frank!" Joe jostled his brother a little impatiently.

"I don't, ok?" Frank replied harshly, standing up.

Joe took a small step back, his eyes boring intensely into his sibling's.

"Yeah, I don't either." He agreed after a few moments.

"Good, so we all agree… I'll call Bess. She's at her place, I'm sure she can pop by my house just to check in on things." Nancy said, trying to hide all traces of panic from her voice as she snapped her partners out of their little minute of sibling rivalry.

"Yeah, I'll get Chet on for us." Joe said, plopping back down, crossing his legs, and pulling out his phone.

"Good… idea…" Frank folded his hands behind his head and sighed. "Wait." He sat bolt upright in his rickety wooden chair.

Joe didn't look up, he was on the phone with their chubby best friend.

Nancy had just finished her call, so she looked at Frank. "Spot something?"

"Yeah…" Frank mused. "Come with me."

"What about him?" Nancy looked back at Joe.

"He'll catch up. Let's go." Frank nodded at Joe then to the door. "Meet us at two, in front of our hotel room." He mouthed.

Joe nodded vaguely and continued his conversation with their pal.

"Ok." Nancy pulled on her coat and followed Frank out of the little café.

As soon as they had exited, Nancy mouth formed into a little 'oh'.

Frank smiled. He knew Nancy would figure out what he had been following on her own, they thought alike.

"See? We'll have this case under wraps in no time… and we'll be able to check on our parents, too…" Frank said in a reassuring voice.

Nancy forced a grin and agreed quickly.

"Let's follow at a distance…" she murmured.

Frank nodded in the affirmative.

The hotel manager was striding down the snow covered streets, humming to himself, a little spring in each step.

"Something's up for sure… the man's a living storm cloud…" Frank muttered.

"Yes… but maybe he's just like that under stress…" Nancy commented.

"You mean kinda like me?" Frank grinned.

"No!" Nancy laughed. "Not like you at all! You're never negative!"

Frank raised an eyebrow.

"Ok! Well, we all have to be realistic at some point!" Nancy recovered.

"Ohhh boy… the dude's stopping." Frank whirled on Nancy, shielding her from view. "Think he heard us?" he asked her quietly.

"No- look… he's just stopping at that coffee place…" Nancy turned Frank back around. "Relax, we're fine."

"See? Negativity!" Frank sighed and pushed on through the snow.

Nancy mussed his hair. "Yeah, but that was necessary."

Frank bit back a blush at the action and made himself say, "I guess." Then after a second, "So… do we just hang out here?" he leaned against a wall. "Until he comes out again?"

Nancy shrugged. "Why not?"

After what seemed like an eternity of shivering and chattering teeth, the manager reemerged.

"Got him…" Frank said at once, as the two took up their slow chase again.

"Easy…" Nancy put her hand on his arm as if calming a restless animal.

Frank fell into step with her again and was silent.

"Oh cool! He's going into a mall! I really need a change of clothes…" Frank explained sheepishly.

"Sorry, now's not the best time, Frank." Nancy remarked.

"Yeah, of course not. But maybe after we, you know, nick him." Frank's eyes shone, ready for action.

"Sure, Frank." Nancy rolled her eyes. "After we put whoever is behind this behind bars, I'll even buy you an ice cream."

"Sweet!" Frank said, then sobered, saying. "No wait. Look… he's a staff member here too?"

Nancy cursed. "Seriously?"

"Aw, great. Now we can't follow him…"

"Wait a second. Maybe we can. Let's go in the customer way, and we'll try to trace him back… maybe there will be time for shopping…" Nancy observed.

"Nancy? Really? You're kidding, right?" Frank asked, stunned.

"Not exactly." She replied. "You got a preferred store?"

"Uh…" Frank scratched the back of his neck. He wasn't quite sure how going shopping was going to help them catch their bad guy, but he was sure Nancy knew what she was doing. And he stank. He really needed a new t-shirt. "Sure. Follow me."

The two half jogged through the strangling mobs in the mall, dodging elbows and getting knocked out by bulging shopping bags.

At last they pushed past the groups and appeared at a men's sportswear shop.

Skateboards and tiger stuffed animals decorated the display window.

They made it to the sunglasses, and then took a left at the sock department.

At last, they made it to the rack with neatly folded tees on it.

"Oh yeah!" Frank flipped through the options swiftly.

"Isn't this more of Joe's style?" Nancy asked, nodding at a poster with a surfer guy on it, a text bubble that read 'rad' coming out of his mouth and his right hand in the peace sign.

"Sometimes. I've honestly got better taste than him, but detective work requires dirtiable clothes."

"Is that even a word?"

"No, actually." Frank paused and thought it over. "Well, it means clothes that can get-"

"Dirty, I know." Nancy smiled.

"Sort of implied, huh?"

"Yup. Hey."

Frank looked up from an orange shirt.

"You wouldn't believe our luck…"

"Cuz this shirt is twenty percent off?"

"Nuh uh. The manager guy. He literally just passed this store…" Nancy whispered excitedly.

"Let's get going!" Frank hurdled over a metal box with hangers.

"Not yet. Get the stuff you want and then we'll follow."

"Ok?" Frank scooped up a pack of shirts, lay them on the counter, and let the girl that worked there scan it.

Then he scavenged around in his pockets. "Come on…" he murmured, frustrated.

"What?" Nancy asked him.

"Nothing." Frank emptied out his sweater pockets inside out.

"Frank… we should hurry, you know. The manager might still be lurking around if we hurry-"

"Shoot, shoot, _shoot_ …" Frank growled, furrowing his brow.

"Is… something wrong?" the cashier girl leaned forwards.

"Um…" Frank blushed and looked down, desperately searching his pockets again.

"Here you are. Have a nice day."

Frank looked up to find the woman handing Nancy a shopping bag with his shirts in it.

"Let's go." She said.

"Wait- I have to pay. Darn, where's that wallet?" Frank patted himself down again in another frantic search.

"It's on me. You're buying dinner for us later though." Nancy said, half dragging Frank out of the store.

"You didn't have to do that!"

"I kind of did. It endangers our mission if we don't look like we actually have a reason for being here besides keeping tabs on some person who works at the hotel we're at…" Nancy nudged Frank who still didn't look ok with it. "We're friends, alright? It's good."

"No, it's not… I'm so stupid! How could I just lose my wallet?" Frank grimaced. "And it had all my ATAC stuff in it too…"

Nancy looked at him grimly. "We're going to find the thief." She said.

"Joe?" Frank gave a weak laugh. "Maybe he went broke and wanted a slice of pizza for later or something…"

Nancy cracked a small smile and kept walking.

"Do you see him?" he asked. "And thanks, Nancy. You saved me. But from now on, I'm buying our food. At the bagel shop Joe's obsessed with."

"Forget about it, Frank. No, I don't see him anywhere…" Nancy squinted towards the escalator. "See him?"

"Yeah. I see him." Frank pushed back his sleeves. "Although… we're still not sure he's guilty of anything, really…"

"True." Nancy folded her arms and looked over the railing. "It's gonna be challenging to keep our distance from him on an escalator, but I'm afraid we'll lose him in the crowds downstairs if we don't."

Frank nodded. "Ok. He's nearing the middle, if we hurry, we can get on."

"Got it." Nancy led the way to the stairs and they stepped on.

The stairs slid down with a whirring noise.

Frank felt Nancy wince beside him. "He's turning around! There's no way he won't know it's us…"

"Uh oh."

"Quick, we have to do something!"

Meanwhile…

Joe dodged a huge, football sized snowball and ducked behind the cover of a fat snowman.

"Hee yaa!" little kids screams filled the air.

Their battle cries, Joe thought with a small laugh.

"Hey! Mister Dude!" a little kid with light brown hair and red cheeks skidded over on his knees, flinching as a chunk of snow hit their bodyguard and flew everywhere. "Can I hide here too?"

Joe shook the snow out of his hair and face and grinned. "Nice save. Close, but nice."

"Thanks!" the kid beamed. "So… you play baseball or something? Your aim's on point."

"Hey…" Joe chuckled. "Yeah."

"Neat. So do I. Or… I did. But then this one ball hit me straight in the teeth… and… well, you know…"

"Aw, that stinks, buddy."

"I know… I always wanted to be a pro player…"

Joe smiled, remembering his similar childhood dream. Before ATAC, that was.

"Yikes. Got to run!" and the little boy scurried off, skidding and sliding as huge boulders of snow were hurled at him.

"Catch you later, pal." Joe smirked, shrugged, and stood up, dusting himself off. He'd had enough of fun. He checked his wrist watch. Fifteen minutes till two. He should probably get going to the meeting spot. He didn't want to worry Frank or-

"Ooof." He stumbled back, slabs of ice cascading down his coat and into his think shirt. "Oh! Ouch!" the freezing material stung and he did a little dance to get them off of him. Someone had thrown a snowball at him.

"You're out!" a chubby kid growled.

Joe thought he looked rather aggressive, but he wasn't in the mood for a battle of the wits with a kid twice younger than him.

So he saluted briefly and then shuffled off the battlefield, shivering and wet.

Meanwhile…

Frank and Nancy held their breath, the manager was halfway turned now… what could he possibly want to see? The escalator was nearing its stop…


End file.
